Signaling device



J. M. WENZEL SIGNALING DEVICE Filed July 1 24 other side of the currentsource.

Patented Oct. 26, 1926.

Joan M. wnnznn, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SIGNiALING DEVICE.

Application filed July 19, 1924, Serial No. 727,008.

This invention, relates to electrically operated door releasers forapartment houses whereby it is made possible to release the mainentrance door of the house from any one of the apartments without theoccupants thereof leaving the same and going to the door to unlatch it.

The invention particularly relates to an improvement over my priorPatent 1,509,010.

The invention has for its object to provide an apparatus of the kindstated, a signal device which will indicate to the occupants of theapartments whether the releaser. has properly functioned to effectrelease of the door, and whetherthe person at the door has gainedentranceor not.

The object stated is attained by means of a combination and arrangementof parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, and in order that thesame may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawing, wherein, the invention is illustrated diagrammatically.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 5

1 denotes the main entrance door of a building containing a number ofapartments. This door is provided with an electrically operatedreleasing device whereby the door may be released from any one of theapartments without the occupants leaving the same and going to the door.This is a well known apparatus and hence a detailed description thereofis not necesary. It may be stated, however, that the doo releasingmechanism is operated by an electro-magnet which is shown at 6. Thismagnet is interposed in an energizing circuit, and the current sourcemay be a battery 7 or a transformer. One side of the current source isconnected by a conductor 8 to one of the terminals of the magnet, and tothe other terminal a mounted on a switch base 10 located in an apartmentremote from the door. The base 10 has two other terminals, namely 6 andc, and the three terminals are arranged in a circle to receive,preferably, a snap-switch installation 10 whereby the three terminalsmay be connected across, or disconnected as shown, by a partial turn ofthe switch. The three terminals may be otherwise arran ed, if desired,in case a different type of swltch is selected, to secure the sameresult; From the terminal 6, a conductor 11 leads to the The circuit isnormally open, and when it is closed by operating the switch 10, themagnet 6 is energized, whereupon therelease of the door 5 takes place,so that the person seeking entrance may open the same.

To the energizing circuit of the door re leaser is connected a branchcircuit in which is interposed a signal, such as a small lamp 1 1. Oneterminal of the lamp is wired to the conductor 8, as shown at 15, andthe other terminal is wired as shown at 16, to the contact C. It willtherefore be seen that both circuits are controlled by the switch 1()\The branch circuit in which the signal 141 is interposed is normallyopen at the switch 10, and it is also provided with a circuit closerwhich is controlled by the door This circuit closer is a contact 18adapted to bridge a gap in the line 15 when the door 5 is opened, saidline having contacts 19. at the gap. lVhen the doorsis closed, theelectrical connection is broken. In theline 9, between the magnet 6 andthe switch contact a is also aigap, with contacts 20 thereat, thesecontacts being opposite the contact 18. The contacts 19 are on one sideof the contact 18, and the contacts 20 are on the opposite side. Thus,the contacts 19 and 20 are alternately engageable to the contact 18, thelatter normally bridging the contacts 20. The contact 18 is in positionto bridge the contacts 20 when the door 5 is closed and it moves awayfrom the contacts 20 to bridge the contacts 19 when the door opens.

The operation of the apparatus may be summarized as follows:

Upon turning the switch 10 to cover the terminals a, b and c, theenergizing circuit of the magnet 6 is closed and the release of the door5 takes place. When the door is opened, the circuit in which the signal14 is interposed is also closed, and the signal is displayed as long asthe switch 10 is held closed. The display of the signal 14 of courseindicates to the occupant of the apartment that the door has opened, andthat the door releaser'ha's therefore properly functioned. A failure toobtain a signal is of course an indication that the door has not beenopened. The door releaser circuit is broken and the device 6 is cut outimmediately the door opens, by the movement of the contact 18 off thecontacts 20 and over to the contacts 19. However, the signal 14continues to be displayed as long as the switch 10 is held closed, andthe contacts 18 and 19 touch. The apparatus therefore eliminates wasteof electric current from un- Lit necessary operation of the doorreleaser, and it is convenient and does away with all guess work as towhether the person at the door has gained entrance or not;

The conductors 11, 9 and 15 being feeders to the apartment installation,the latter may be considered as a branch, the feeders continuingupwardly, as shown, to the next apartment where a similar branchinstallation is made. The feeders can thus be led to all the apartmentsusing the door as a front entrance, the three-point switch enabling theindependent operation of the door by each branch unit. The signal 14,while shown as a lamp, maybe a buzzer or a bell. or any other type ofvisible or audible signal.

lVhile the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown, itwilloccur to those skilled in the artthat various moditications may bedevised without departing from the principle of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with an electrically operated door releasing deviceand an open energizing circuit therefor; 01"" a plurality of independentoperating stations in said energizinp; circuit, an indicator at eachstation in a branch of said energizing circuit, each of said branchcircuits being open at two places, a switch at each station forsimultaneously closing said energizing circuit and one of the openmgs of1ts branch clrcult, and

door-controlled means for opening said energizing circuit and closingthe second openmg of the branch circuit.

2. In combination, an electrically operated door releasing device, asource of energy, a plurality of independently operable signals, a threepoint switch for each signal, a circuit connection between said sourceof energy and the door releasing device, a plurality of pairs ofcontacts having door controlled means for selectively opening andclosing the same, one pair of the contacts being nor mally closed andthe otherpair being normally open, a circuit connection between the doorreleasing device and one of the first pair of contacts, acircuitconnection between the other contact of said pair and one pointof each switch, a circuit connection between the source of energy and asecond point of each switch, a branch circuit connection from the firstconnection to one of the remaining pair of contacts, a circuitconnection between the second contact of the last pair and each signal,and a circuit connection between the third point of each switch and itssignal.

In testimony whereof affix my signature.

'JouN M. wENzEn

